ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Oakland volleyball team will travel to the Saluki Invitational Friday, Sept. 15 through Saturday, Sept. 16 in Carbondale, Ill. to close out its non-conference schedule.

The Golden Grizzlies (5-5) will open the invitational against UT Martin Friday at 2 p.m. (ET) Oakland will conclude the weekend with a match against host, Southern Illinois Saturday at noon. (ET) Saturday's match against the Salukis will be broadcast on ESPN+.

OAKLAND RUNDOWN
Oakland is coming off a big five-set, mid-week road win over Toledo after battling back to win the last two sets of the match.
 
"We had quite the fight, the score ended up being 22-20 in the fifth set," Head Coach Krista Rice said. "I thought our grit, that is one of the pillars of our program, and we absolutely came through with our grit."

Senior Patti Cesarini registered a team-best 17 kills for Oakland while Libby Gentile registered 15 of her own. Junior libero Emily Wichmann had 26 digs, her fourth match with 25-plus this year, and Sarah Turner finished the day with 32 assists.
 
Oakland hosted the Golden Grizzlies Invitational a weekend ago, posting a 1-2 overall record. Turner earned All-Tournament team honors after recording 57 assists over three games including a tournament-high 25 in Oakland's 3-1 win over Eastern Michigan.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2 P.M. VS. UT MARTIN | LIVE STATS

Jayhawks 2023 Record: 2-6

A member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), the Jayhawks enter the weekend looking to snap a four-game losing streak opening the Saluki Invitational Thursday, Sept. 14 against host Southern Illinois.

Kayla Bryant leads the Jayhawks in kills with 72, averaging 2.4 per set, while Dylan Mott paces the UT Martin defense with 99 digs (3.67/set). Setter Haeleigh Paulino has tallied 135 assists on the year. Last weekend Olivia Saunders was named to the Lippy Invitational all-tournament squad. The 6-2 graduate middle blocker achieved team-highs in kills (14), hitting percentage (.313) and blocks (eight) over the two matches in the event. It marks the second all-tournament nod of the fall for the Mississauga, Ontario, Canada native, who also received those honors at the season-opening Tennessee Classic on Aug. 25-26.

The Jayhawks are led by Jaclynn Wilson who is in her ninth year at the helm of UT Martin volleyball. In 2022, Wilson led the Jayhawks to a 23-12 finish and a Women's National Invitational Volleyball Championship Appearance. Wilson was named to the prestigious 2015 "Thirty Under 30" list compiled by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. She was one of just four Division-I head coaches to earn a spot on that list.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 12 P.M. AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS | LIVE STATS | WATCH

Saluki 2023 Record: 6-3
 
Southern Illinois welcomes UT Martin and Oakland to the Saluki Invitational looking to snap a two-game skid. SIU faces off against UT Martin on Thursday before closing out the Invitational against the Golden Grizzlies from Banterra Center.
 
Outside hitter, Nataly Garcia leads the team both offensively and defensively with team-best 104 kills on the year, while on the defensive end, the senior paces SIU in digs with 90. Junior Anna Jaworski has tallied 187 assists, good for 5.34/set.

Leader of the Salukis since 2019, Ed Allen ranks among the winningest, active NCAA head coaches with 685 career victories entering the 2023 season. His 2022 team at SIU finished 18-13 overall, with a school-record 13-game improvement in the win column.